breakfast/lunch
#1
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2010
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breakfast/lunch
i'm curious, what do you guys do about breakfast? i'm not sure whether to eat before i go or bring something with?
also, does anyone else bring a lunch with? what do you bring and how do you keep it from getting crushed?
(in high school i brought peanut butter sandwiches and a couple pieces of fruit)
also, does anyone else bring a lunch with? what do you bring and how do you keep it from getting crushed?
(in high school i brought peanut butter sandwiches and a couple pieces of fruit)
#2
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2008
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From: On the bridge with Picard
Bikes: Specialized Allez, Specialized Sirrus
How long is your commute? I usually don't eat before I ride in, but by the time I get to work I'm hungry so I eat a banana, shower, and then have a muffin/scone or something similar at my desk.
I bring my lunch with me in a regular insulated lunch bag. It fits in my backpack or panniers. If you put the food in a hard plastic container (there are some big enough to hold a sandwich) it won't get crushed.
I bring my lunch with me in a regular insulated lunch bag. It fits in my backpack or panniers. If you put the food in a hard plastic container (there are some big enough to hold a sandwich) it won't get crushed.
#3
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2008
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From: Binghamton, NY
Bikes: Workcycles FR8, 2016 Jamis Coda Comp, 2008 Surly Long Haul Trucker
It will really depend on what you prefer, and its usually trial and error. I have oatmeal and a protien shake for breakfast. Some just want coffee. Others have a huge breakfast with sausage, eggs, toast, juice, etc.. Some don't eat until after they get to work.
I bring my own lunch which is usually brocolli and a hamburger. I also bring an apple as a snack. I will sometimes bring PB&J as well. I have some sterlite locking containers that I got from walmart that work pretty well.
I bring my own lunch which is usually brocolli and a hamburger. I also bring an apple as a snack. I will sometimes bring PB&J as well. I have some sterlite locking containers that I got from walmart that work pretty well.
#4
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2009
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From: Atlanta, GA
Bikes: '95 Specialized Hard Rock, '03 (?) Fuji Finest
My usual breakfast is a smoothie: a banana, blueberries, rice protein powder, chia seeds and unsweetened rice milk. It doesn't bother me when riding, but drinking coffee does. So I skip coffee on ride mornings and drink tea later at work instead. My lunch is usually leftovers. I just carry those in a Tupperware sort of container inside a plastic bag in case it leaks.
#5
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Layton, UT
Bikes: 2004 Giant OCR, 2002 Specialized Stumpjumper, 2008 Trek 6500 Disc
I ride 20 miles to work. So, I eat before either a Almond butter and jam sandwich on whole grain bread or a bananna. At work I eat a bowl of oatmeal with milk and frut. Lunch just have regular, about 500 cal, and then have a snack of apple / fruit / nuts and then eat a normal dinner.
#6
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Joined: Jul 2010
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I ride 14 miles to work, I choose not to eat before my ride but do drink a ton of water (80 oz to be exact) heading to work which keeps the hunger down. By the time I arrive @ work, I will have a bowl of oatmeal w/raisins (oatmeal is stored in my drawer inside a protein jug), I will pack my lunch into my rack bag which fits my work clothes & security lock/cable, and eat a small snack or protein shake before I ride back home.
#7
Junior Mint
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 242
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From: Cambridge, MA
Bikes: Trek 830
I eat before I leave, usually granola and fruit (I make my own granola). But I make my coffee at work. I grind enough coffee for two cups and take it with me, then make it with a Melitta pour-over at my desk. I bring a sandwich and fruit for lunch most days. Sometimes lunch is dinner leftovers. I take everything in a trunk bag.
#8
Oatmeal or granola for breakfast, banana and sometimes trail mix around 10 am. Lunch is leftovers or a grilled cheese sandwich, with some sort of fruit/veg (usually an apple or salad.) I have glass containers with a locking lid which haven't leaked yet (2 years), so I bring soup or chili or whatever I feel like, really. 40L panniers swallow lunch, clothes, shoes, lock etc pretty easily.
#9
I can't eat for an hour or two after I get up, it unsettles my stomach, so I guess it's good that I have such a short ride. I usually get coffee and a piece of fruit or a pile of bacon from the cafeteria an hour or so after I get in, and I tend to keep fixings for a full week of lunch in a desk drawer -- i schlep it in on monday
#10
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Joined: Feb 2008
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From: Oxnard, CA
Bikes: 2009 Fuji Roubaix RC; 2011 Fuji Cross 2.0; '92 Diamond Back Ascent EX
Breakfast is peanut butter on wheat toast and lots of water. Lunch can be anything from PB&J sandwich with some fruit to left-overs from the previous night's dinner.
#12
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From: Long Beach,CA
Bikes: Kona Ute, Nishiki 4130, Trek 7000, K2 Mach 1.0, Novara Randonee, Schwinn Loop, K2 Zed 1.0, Schwinn Cream, Torker Boardwalk
My commute varies so I eat accordingly. If it is a short commute I will eat some Red Vines or Skittles and a piece of fruit. If it is longer. I will eat some sort of bread and fruit chased down by the candy and tea.
#14
Mad bike riding scientist




Joined: Nov 2004
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Likes: 6,186
From: Denver, CO
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
i'm curious, what do you guys do about breakfast? i'm not sure whether to eat before i go or bring something with?
also, does anyone else bring a lunch with? what do you bring and how do you keep it from getting crushed?
(in high school i brought peanut butter sandwiches and a couple pieces of fruit)
also, does anyone else bring a lunch with? what do you bring and how do you keep it from getting crushed?
(in high school i brought peanut butter sandwiches and a couple pieces of fruit)
As for lunch, I hate sandwiches so I carry leftovers from dinners that my wife and I cook. I use a plastic container to carry it and have never had a problem with leakage or with spoilage (on the bike anyway
) I've don't have problems with anything freezing in the winter time either, even when I ride far below freezing. If I happen to drive, I'll take some extra lunches in along with any other items I don't want to carry.I usually carry apples and the occasional orange for fruit. Other fruits just don't work all that well. Peaches, plums, pears, etc. are too soft to carry and they bruise easily. Peaches...at least the ones that are properly ripe...will turn to peach juice even when carried on top of padding. That padding is usually covered in smooshed peaches. Since the padding is usually what I wear to work, I'd rather not be coverd in smooshed peaches
If you want soft fruit, drive it to work.
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Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#15
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,486
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From: PNW - Victoria, BC
Bikes: 2002 Litespeed Vortex - 2007 Trek Madone 5.9 - 2004 Redline Conquest Pro - Specialized S-Works Festina Team Model - 93 Cannondale M 800 Beast of the East
Lately, I get up, get on my stuff, do a 20-25 mile ride.
Come home, grab a cuppa joe - shower - ride to work (4-7 miles depending on route/weather).
Start the coffee pot have some toast and a banana with said coffee.
Lunch is generally leftovers from the night before. I'm apparently the only person in the house that's not above eating leftovers. If I don't eat it, it gets thrown out.
Come home, grab a cuppa joe - shower - ride to work (4-7 miles depending on route/weather).
Start the coffee pot have some toast and a banana with said coffee.
Lunch is generally leftovers from the night before. I'm apparently the only person in the house that's not above eating leftovers. If I don't eat it, it gets thrown out.
#16
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From: PNW - Victoria, BC
Bikes: 2002 Litespeed Vortex - 2007 Trek Madone 5.9 - 2004 Redline Conquest Pro - Specialized S-Works Festina Team Model - 93 Cannondale M 800 Beast of the East
Nothing says breakfast like Red Vines & Skittles.
Let it be said right now, Red Vines beat twizzlers, any day of the week.
Let it be said right now, Red Vines beat twizzlers, any day of the week.
#17
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,410
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From: Long Beach,CA
Bikes: Kona Ute, Nishiki 4130, Trek 7000, K2 Mach 1.0, Novara Randonee, Schwinn Loop, K2 Zed 1.0, Schwinn Cream, Torker Boardwalk
#18
Senior Member


Joined: Jul 2006
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From: San Jose (Willow Glen) Ca
Bikes: Kirk Custom JK Special, 86 De Rosa Pro, '84 Team Miyata,(dura ace old school) 80?? SR Semi-Pro 600 Arabesque
breakfast......90% of the time oatmeal (not cooked) or granola, with a yogurt poured over and stirred (not shaken) let sit 5 minutes.
lunch varies. leftovers (I like the pyrex bowl with plastic lid...I avoid microwaving food in plastic), salad (chinese chicken most often) or a sandwich (leftover chicken, or sliced ham, turkey....sometimes almond butter and jam)
bring a piece or two of fruit in.
just throw in a reusuable grocery bag and throw in the rear basket.
lunch varies. leftovers (I like the pyrex bowl with plastic lid...I avoid microwaving food in plastic), salad (chinese chicken most often) or a sandwich (leftover chicken, or sliced ham, turkey....sometimes almond butter and jam)
bring a piece or two of fruit in.
just throw in a reusuable grocery bag and throw in the rear basket.
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Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can.
Life is too short not to ride the best bike you have, as much as you can.
#20
I usually wake up starving since I don't eat full dinners, so I eat a regular breakfast before leaving, but I give myself at least 30 minutes after eating before hopping on the bike. Nothing special: black tea, multi-grain toasts with cream cheese, yogurt, banana, sometimes boiled or scrambled eggs. I sometimes bring lunch with me, sometimes eat out, depends on the situation, mood, etc. One thing I noticed is that I eat less on a normal day since I started commuting by bike.
#21
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Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Los Angeles
Bikes: Bianchi Via Nirone 7, Jamis Sputnik
I work literally right next to a grocery store, so I get something for breakfast after my ride, but I would still eat after even if I had to bring my breakfast. I don't like riding on a full stomach, although, if i'm feeling sluggish, I might pound an energy gel to make it to work. But I ALWAYS eat breakfast.
For lunch, I usually eat out with my coworkers.. if for some reason I do bring lunch, it's in a plastic container, or an old fashioned metal lunchbox (messenger bags are roomy) to keep from getting crushed in my bag.
For lunch, I usually eat out with my coworkers.. if for some reason I do bring lunch, it's in a plastic container, or an old fashioned metal lunchbox (messenger bags are roomy) to keep from getting crushed in my bag.
Last edited by bhop; 08-10-10 at 07:08 PM.
#22
Total dork here. I bring breakfast and lunch every day, whether riding or not. When riding, the food goes in one pannier and my purse in the other. If you browse the Container Store, Target or any Ace Hardware you'll find a plethora of food container shapes and sizes. Snapware rules because it prevents spillage. As mentioned on a Simple Living thread, this Salad Shaker changed my life. It's also a great conversation-starter! For breakfast, I have a small stainless-steel container that holds oatmeal, nuts and fruit. Also a big fan of the nut butter/jam sandwich as it can be breakfast, lunch or snack.
Most important is to do as much prep the night before as possible. This includes making the salad and even cutting up the fruit for the oatmeal. Grab-and-go is the only way that works for me.
Most important is to do as much prep the night before as possible. This includes making the salad and even cutting up the fruit for the oatmeal. Grab-and-go is the only way that works for me.
#23
Goathead Magnet
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 673
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From: Albuquerque, NM
Bikes: Surly LHT, Cannondale Caffeine F3
Good grief! A lot of you guys have too much time on your hands. 
Breakfast is whatever the kids are having - scrambled eggs with American cheese melted on top (my five-year-old's favorite), cereal, yogurt (yes, the kind that comes in a squeeze tube), cold pizza from last night, or occasionally nothing at all. I do better on my ride (8 miles one way) when I eat breakfast, and even when I hammer the whole time (which is basically every day) I don't have trouble with my stomach after a substantial breakfast. If I don't eat at home, I have to take something to work - I'll fade by 11:00 or so if I don't.
Lunch varies. The last few weeks it's been sandwiches (turkey and pastrami on deli rolls this week, with cheddar or baby Swiss and either deli mustard or horseradish mustard), but sometimes it's packaged Asian food from Trader Joe's, or noodle cups, or pizza, or leftovers, or whatever else I can scrounge up in the fridge. On days when I drive, I tend to take in a bunch of stuff with a long shelf life to keep in my desk, so if I forget lunch or get rushed and don't have time to make it I can dip into my emergency rations. I tend to take two or three pieces of fruit - bananas, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, grapes, apples, cantaloupe (no, not the whole thing, silly!). Lunch tends to be all that's in my panniers except on Mondays when I take all my clothes for the week in, so I don't worry too much about things getting smooshed, but soft fruit goes into a Ziploc bag in case it leaks. If I put it in the fridge when I get there, even if it gets pretty badly mashed on the way in it's still fine to eat at lunchtime. Often that's it for lunch - a sandwich and two or three pieces of fruit, but sometimes I'll add some chips, avocados, or whatever else sounds appealing for a side dish.

Breakfast is whatever the kids are having - scrambled eggs with American cheese melted on top (my five-year-old's favorite), cereal, yogurt (yes, the kind that comes in a squeeze tube), cold pizza from last night, or occasionally nothing at all. I do better on my ride (8 miles one way) when I eat breakfast, and even when I hammer the whole time (which is basically every day) I don't have trouble with my stomach after a substantial breakfast. If I don't eat at home, I have to take something to work - I'll fade by 11:00 or so if I don't.
Lunch varies. The last few weeks it's been sandwiches (turkey and pastrami on deli rolls this week, with cheddar or baby Swiss and either deli mustard or horseradish mustard), but sometimes it's packaged Asian food from Trader Joe's, or noodle cups, or pizza, or leftovers, or whatever else I can scrounge up in the fridge. On days when I drive, I tend to take in a bunch of stuff with a long shelf life to keep in my desk, so if I forget lunch or get rushed and don't have time to make it I can dip into my emergency rations. I tend to take two or three pieces of fruit - bananas, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, grapes, apples, cantaloupe (no, not the whole thing, silly!). Lunch tends to be all that's in my panniers except on Mondays when I take all my clothes for the week in, so I don't worry too much about things getting smooshed, but soft fruit goes into a Ziploc bag in case it leaks. If I put it in the fridge when I get there, even if it gets pretty badly mashed on the way in it's still fine to eat at lunchtime. Often that's it for lunch - a sandwich and two or three pieces of fruit, but sometimes I'll add some chips, avocados, or whatever else sounds appealing for a side dish.
#24
Raisin Bran with a banana and soy milk plus an english muffin at 6am. Stop on the way to work for coffee. Bagel and yogurt at 9 am. 2 sandwiches, an apple and a Monster for lunch. Clif bar and apple around 2 pm.
I throw all the food in a plastic grocery bag and put it in my backpack. I'm used to smashed sandwiches from carrying them in my back pocket on road rides.
I throw all the food in a plastic grocery bag and put it in my backpack. I'm used to smashed sandwiches from carrying them in my back pocket on road rides.
#25
Senior Member

Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 872
Likes: 34
From: Central Illinois
Bikes: 2008 Dawes Haymaker 20XX Leader LD515 TotoCycling Road Bike
Wow so many healthy eaters here. I wake up at noon so I immediately go to lunch consisting of a sandwich of some sort or pizza. Also have a major sweet tooth so I usually have some chocolate or candy with juice to go with it.



